Drunk Driver vs XJ = XJ gas tank explodes

[GSequoia]

Are XJs known to freaking explode when rear ended?!

You won't find many cars that are designed to take 60 mph hits when at a standstill, you can only design things for so much.

Crown Vics have a reputation for that as well because when you get hit at 75mph when stopped the tank will likely rupture leading to fire. The only reason those cases are statistically relevant is because of police work (lots of time stopped at the side of fast moving highways).

 

[BlueCuda]

A friend of mine had his XJ hit at 55mph while he was sitting at a stop light. His jeep was lifted 6", had a gas tank skid, and durango rear bumper with tire carrier. Ironicly he was rear ended by a drunk guy in another 2 door XJ. My friend was OK, his jeep was F'd, a-pillars were bent, seat back broke, radio came out of the dash etc. The drunk in the other XJ was OK as well, how I don't know.

I am assumeing since my friends jeep was lifted the impact was cushoned since his bumper hit the grille of the other XJ and that softened the blow. His gas tank skid was pretty marked up and his bumper was a little tweaked. The tank skid and bumper are now on my Jeep. With no gas tank skid it would have been very likely that the plastic tank could be compromised in a collision like that.

 

[Crawler]

In my opinion he did do it on purpose if he got behind the wheel, drunk, at 11am.

x2

x3


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[Darky]

Is he a terrible person and a waste of air? Yes.

Did he commit murder. No.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manslaughter

Thats just the letter of the law my friend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negligent_homicide

http://definitions.uslegal.com/n/negligent-homicide/

http://criminal.lawyers.com/traffic-violations/Vehicular-Homicide--Driving-Deaths-in-General.html

I believe in many areas it would be negligent homicide, which can be charged in addition to manslaughter. The last link says that vehicular homicide itself can sometimes be upgraded to murder.

 

[yossarian19]

x3


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Disagree.
If he was drunk at 11 am, driving, with previous record for drug & alcohol related offenses, I'm about 95% sure they guy is an addict. This doesn't change the outcome at all, but for me it informs the appropriate treatment. I mean, is the goal to punish or to reform? If a guy was bipolar and in a manic episode when he caused a wreck with the same result, would we kill him for it?
Obviously, what happened that day is terrible. Yes, he is responsible for his actions - but what were they, exactly? Drunk driving. Not murder.
My condolences to the Roe family.

PS If you want to make the argument that drunk driving penalties are not stiff enough, since anything up to and including this type of accident are "all in the game" once you start driving while loaded, I'm willing to listen.

 

[Darky]

Were taking your prescribed meds for bipolar disorder? Those go a long way to controlling the disorder. There's precedent in this case as well. A man with a medical condition that caused him to black out randomly repeatedly ignored doctor's orders to take his meds. He went so far as to scam the medical board to get his license back after a previous accident where he was off his meds. He shouldn't have been driving the day he slammed into the back end of a car driven by a pregnant woman, waiting at a stop sign. He hit her at about 75 in a residential zone because he blacked out. There was never any indication that he attempted to swerve or slow down. The lady was killed. He was charged with homicide.

And I don't buy into the whole alcoholism is a disease bit either.

 

[CherBear]

Fortunately you are ignorant of Drunk Driving laws and how they have been applied over the past 10 years or so, not to mention a little thing called vehicular manslaughter. If the prosecuter knows what he is doing they will get him on all four counts. Try him, convict him, then burn him alive! If we stop being such XXXXXXs as a nation and hold people accountable for there actions, less of this kind of crap would happen. This is just another symptom of the lack of personal responsibility that is so prevelant today.

You are correct...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/28/murder-charges-drunken-driving-rise/

 

[xjtrailrider]

XJ's take rear hits fairly well. My mom was just rear ended by a 04 Honda Civic. She was sitting still and the Honda was running 45.

She needs a new rear bumper and she has a slight case of whiplash, the Honda had 9k in damages and the driver spent a night in the hospital.

The insurance company totaled the 94 XJ for the damages but she is still driving it. It just needs a bumper.

 

[bigalpha]

No sympathy for any douche bag who drives drunk. Driving drunk isn't one of those things you can claim ignorance about. If you kill someone drunk driving, you deserve to be tortured.

 

[Wayne Sihler]

Driver appeared in court yesterday. Charged with-aggravated involuntary manslaughter,-DUI-underage possession of alcohol.More charges may be filed.

www.nvdaily.com

 

[Crawler]

Disagree.
If he was drunk at 11 am, driving, with previous record for drug & alcohol related offenses, I'm about 95% sure they guy is an addict. This doesn't change the outcome at all, but for me it informs the appropriate treatment. I mean, is the goal to punish or to reform? If a guy was bipolar and in a manic episode when he caused a wreck with the same result, would we kill him for it?
Obviously, what happened that day is terrible. Yes, he is responsible for his actions - but what were they, exactly? Drunk driving. Not murder.
My condolences to the Roe family.

PS If you want to make the argument that drunk driving penalties are not stiff enough, since anything up to and including this type of accident are "all in the game" once you start driving while loaded, I'm willing to listen.

Ahhh... the "not guilty by reason of insanity" defense...

Like it or not, he made the informed choice to drink, and then the informed choice to drive.

No, not quite murder... but the results are the same...... by choice.

Manslaughter 1.

 

[SanDiegoOverland]

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/201...gation-into-fire-risk-of-jeep-grand-cherokee/

Bringing this thread respectfully back up.

Just thought I'd post this link, as this families XJ is likely part of this investigation. :tear:

 

[bjoehandley]

Might as well investigate any unibody vehicle with the tank in this location then.

 

[DrMoab]

sounds like something they'd do in africa... lets give him a trial, convict him if he's guilty, then punish him according to existing law.

Yeah, so he can walk out, get in his car and do it to someone else.

I like eye for an eye better. If they do that in Africa then they at least have something on us.

 

[partsxj]

In some countries, drinking and driving is punishable by death. A first time offense in El Salvador leads to execution by firing squad, while a second offense in Bulgaria also leads to execution.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/drinking-and-driving-the-laws-in/#ixzz1xuRRL67m

 

[souske]

In Poland, drunk drivers are subject to jail, fine, and even worse, mandatory attendance at political lectures.

Sounds like CA and Poland have the same policy
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